Love Potion
by Kyarorain
Summary: Team Rocket's latest trap causes Ash and Misty to fall in love with each other. However, is their love really only a fabrication?
1. Chapter 1

**Love Potion**

* * *

I'm writing yet another AAML fic. It's going to be really mushy, but cute...

Game Freak and Nintendo own Pokémon, not me.

* * *

Yet again, Team Rocket had a devious plan in the works that surely involved stealing their coveted Pikachu in some way. James and Meowth however were not quite sure what this plan was as Jessie was the one who had come up with this ingenious idea and had yet to tell them what it was.

"I wonder what she's supposed to be doing?" Meowth crossed his arms over his chest, watching Jessie while she stood over a cauldron of some bubbling pink liquid, rapidly stirring and occasionally letting out bouts of evil sounding chuckles. A thick cloud of steam that could probably be seen for miles rose steadily from the cauldron, accompanied by a musky, sweet smell.

James lowered his head, whispering so that Jessie couldn't overhear them. "I have never doubted it before, but Jessie seems more like a witch than ever before."

"You think she's planning to turn the twerps into frogs and steal Pikachu?" Meowth wondered out loud. He decided now might be a good time to actually ask Jessie what she was trying to do. "Hey, Jessie, what exactly is that weird stuff supposed to be anyway?"

"It's a magic potion. I found a potions store while we were wandering around that town a couple of days ago and this woman told me that the potions really do work." Jessie looked away from the cauldron, smirking deviously. "So I decided to concoct the perfect potion to use on the twerps. They won't ever see it coming."

"Really?" James raised an eyebrow in disbelief. He doubted that potion actually could work. It was more likely the potions seller had just been ripping off gullible people like Jessie. "So, this potion you're making, what is it supposed to do exactly?"

"You really think it's going to work?" Meowth interrupted before Jessie could speak. "What are you, crazy?"

Jessie's smirk disappeared and she gave Meowth a cold stare. "Would I have spent all our money on the ingredients if I didn't think it was going to work?" she asked in a very calm voice that signalled impending danger.

"Eh? You spent all of our money?" James and Meowth shrieked in unison, their eyes widening in horror. Their next paycheck wasn't for ages and if they didn't have any money left, then how were they supposed to eat? The pitiful supply of food they had wasn't going to last them much longer.

"Hey, Jessie, now why did you go and do something like that, huh?" Meowth asked angrily, waving a paw over his head. "Do you want us to starve to death?"

"I can't believe you not only spent all our money without asking first, but you even had to go spend it on some potion that won't work!" James's green eyes were filling with tears as he thought of the days ahead of them with no food. He hated it when they had to go without food and he knew Jessie hated them as well. "What were you thinking?"

"It is going to work, okay? That lady at the potions store told me it would." Jessie placed her hands on her hips, seeming quite annoyed at her teammates for not sharing the confidence she had. "Wait until you hear the grand plan that I have in store. I assure you that you are going to absolutely love it." The redhead beamed from ear to ear, seeming quite pleased with herself.

Meowth exhaled heavily, dropping his head in despair. "Okay, Jessie, what is this grand plan of yours then?" he asked tiredly.

"It's a love potion for the twerps!" Jessie replied cheerfully. "Isn't it great?"

The wind blew past, crickets chirped somewhere in the distance, a tumbleweed rolled by. Silence reigned over them all as James and Meowth stared at Jessie for a very long time without even speaking, wondering if maybe the fumes from the potion had caused them to go crazy and start imagining things. Could that wacky potion have got them high?

James broke the silence, chuckling and smiling awkwardly. "Sorry, Jessie, I think I might have heard you wrong. Did I hear you say that you were making a love potion for the twerps?"

"But I did say that!" Jessie spread her arms wide. "You know that twerpette and the twerp who owns Pikachu so obviously have something for each other. We all know that, but they don't seem to realise it yet. Which is why I am going to give them a very big push in the right direction." Her eyes gleamed with deviousness. "When we feed them this potion, they are going to fall madly in love and become so lovey dovey with each other that they won't have time to do anything else, which includes preventing us from stealing their Pokémon." She threw her head back and laughed maniacally.

Meowth slapped his forehead with a paw and shook his head slowly. "I think Jessie has finally snapped," he stated.

Jessie's fist crashed onto his head. "I'll snap every bone in your body if you keep making those comments!" she threatened angrily.

Meowth jumped onto James in fear, who hugged him back, also seeming rather scared of Jessie himself especially since she had a demonic look on her face.

"This plan is going to work," Jessie declared, leaning over as she stood before her terrified teammates. "I don't want to hear any more complaints from either of you. Is that clear?"

"Absolutely!" James nodded frantically, smiling despite his terror. Jessie seemed satisfied with his answer and turned away, resuming her stirring of the potion. He hung his head and let out a heavy sigh. Jessie certainly was being unnaturally scary today. Perhaps the fumes from that bizarre potion were messing with her head.

Eventually, Jessie was done with making the potion and she picked up some glass vials sitting next to the caution, filling them up with the potion and popping corks into the lids. "Alright, the potion's ready at last. Now we just need to figure out how to get the twerps to take this, but it shouldn't be too hard. I suppose we could just spike their drinks and see how that goes."

"Um, Jessie, it is safe, isn't it?" James asked concernedly. "Sure, the twerps are annoying, but we don't actually want to poison them."

"Relax. I'm trying to get the twerps to fall in love, not kill them." Jessie waved a hand dismissively. "All the ingredients in here are completely safe."

Meowth sighed in relief. "That's good to hear. You may be a bit psychotic, but I suppose you're not that bad- yikes!" The feline Pokémon narrowly dodged the swipe of a paper fan. "Hey, come on, I was only trying to pay you a compliment."

"Since when is 'a bit psychotic' supposed to be a compliment?" Jessie angrily shook a fist in his direction. "Now then, since we've got no money, we're going to have to ask for another loan from the boss then we can hurry up and set up a trap for the unsuspecting twerps. I am so in love with this plan." She threw her head back and laughed triumphantly. "Pikachu is going to be ours!"

James and Meowth wearily shook their heads, neither of them believing that this could possibly work. It was better to just humour Jessie for now and go along with her ridiculous plan. She could get rather violent when provoked after all.

One call to the boss later and Giovanni was reluctantly sending more money their way, but only after addressing them with about every insult under the sun and delivering a massive blow to their morales. They quickly cheered up however and got to work on devising the perfect trap for the two twerps.


	2. Chapter 2

**Love Potion**

It was a wonderfully warm and sunny afternoon, and Ash, Misty and Brock were quite thankful for the pleasant weather as they walked along the road, making their way toward the nearest town. They had been walking for quite a while now and the warm weather was making them feel quite hot and thirsty so it was quite a pleasant surprise to see a milkshake stand sitting on the side of the road.

At the stand stood a violet haired man and a woman with long red hair who did not seem familiar to them in the least, which was bizarre considering that these people looked a lot like a certain pair who enjoyed annoying them almost every day, along with their pesky Meowth. Meowth himself was sitting under the stall and trying to pretend they weren't actually carrying out some half-cocked plan he thought wouldn't even work.

"Good afternoon, twerps!" Jessie called out. She clapped a hand over her mouth, eyes widening as she realised her mistake. James glanced at her with a nervous expression. If those twerps realised they were Team Rocket, they would immediately be blasted off and they didn't want that. "I mean, good afternoon, children! Would you like some tasty milkshakes?"

"Milkshakes?" Misty exclaimed, running over to the stall. "Oh, that's great. We're so thirsty after all that walking and we really could do with a drink."

"I'd like a milkshake too," Ash said, coming over and standing next to her. "How much?"

"Oh, aren't you a cute couple?" James gushed over them. "We have a special deal going on today. Cute couples get free milkshakes." Inside, he felt like crying. What had Jessie been thinking, making the milkshakes free for those twerps? Didn't she realise that they needed money?

"We're not a couple!" Ash and Misty cried out in unison, both of them turning red in the face.

"Oh dear." Jessie held two glasses of strawberry milkshake in her hands, seeming disappointed. "Then I suppose you two don't need these free milkshakes after all."

"Wait, wait!" Misty exclaimed in a panicked voice, frantically waving her arms. "We were only kidding. We are totally a couple, right, Ash?" She grinned nervously, putting her arm around Ash's shoulders. Her face was now turning red as a tomato.

Ash sighed, swallowing uncomfortably. He didn't quite enjoy the idea of pretending he and Misty were a couple since it was downright embarrassing and not even true, but he was pretty thirsty and did want a milkshake. "Um, yeah. Really." The dark-haired boy grinned awkwardly.

"Here you go then!" Jessie set down the milkshakes in front of Ash and Misty. "Drink up and enjoy."

"Oh boy." Brock had a feeling he wasn't going to get a free milkshake, but it was at least amusing to see the two kids pretending to be a couple even if only briefly. He reached into his bag, pulling out a canteen of water and drank thirstily.

A few minutes later, Ash and Misty had both finished their milkshakes and seemed quite satisfied.

"It tasted a bit funny, but it wasn't so bad," Misty commented. "Thank you so much for the free milkshakes."

"Yeah, it had a somewhat odd smell too," Ash said. "What do you guys put in your milkshakes?"

"Love," James responded.

Ash and Misty blinked at him, not sure how to react to such a bizarre answer as that.

"Um, anyway, we should get going," Misty said uncomfortably. "I want to get to the next town before it gets dark."

"Yeah, you're right. Okay, Pikachu, we're going." Ash reached out for Pikachu, letting him jump up to his shoulder. Misty picked up Togepi from where it sat on the stall. The trio then set off along the road again, heading toward their next destination.

"Ah, young love. Isn't it sweet?" Jessie smirked. "We're certainly going to find out."

"How long does it take for the potion to work?" Meowth asked.

"It should kick in within an hour," Jessie replied. "Then the effects will last for another twenty four hours, which is why we've got to be as quick as possible in catching Pikachu. If the twerps are already back to normal by the time we try to capture it, then it's over."

Team Rocket quickly dismantled the stall and hurried to their balloon so that they could set off in pursuit of the twerps.

Meanwhile, Ash and company soon reached the town. It had taken an hour to get there after they had left the milkshake stand behind and now they stood at the entrance to the town, looking around with avid curiosity. It seemed like a pretty average town. As long as there was a Pokémon Center here, they would be happy.

Ash turned his head, looking intently at Misty. "Hey, Misty..." Misty turned her gaze toward him. "You know, you have really pretty eyes."

"Oh?" A light flush crept along Misty's face and her mouth twitched in a faint smile. "Thanks."

Brock glanced at the pair in surprised, wondering if he was imagining things. Had Ash really just paid Misty a compliment? His mouth dropped open as they suddenly clasped their hands together, smiling at each other.

"Um... there's something I have to say, Ash." Misty took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I really like you."

"And I like you too, Misty."

"Hey, what's happening here? You already had those free milkshakes, so you don't need to act like a couple anymore," Brock pointed out. "You do realise that, right?" This was a scene he had never thought he would see, not for a very long time anyway, and he couldn't believe it was happening. It wasn't that he minded or anything, it just seemed rather out of character for them.

Ash and Misty did not seem to hear Brock as they began walking down the path leading directly into the town, gazing into each other's eyes while continuing to hold hands. Brock scratched his head, perplexed by their bizarre behaviour.

"Well, that was downright odd," Brock murmured. "I wonder what's going on here. There's no way that this could be natural. It's much too sudden." He hurried after them.

Ash suddenly stopped in front of a gift store, getting an idea. He wanted to do something nice for Misty. "Hey, just wait here," he said to Misty, letting go of her hand. "I'm going to get you a nice little surprise."

Misty watched him walk into the gift store. "Aw... that's sweet of him," she said, her blush deepening. "I wonder what it could be?" she asked, looking down at the little egg Pokémon in her arms. Togepi chirped happily.

"Hey, where's Ash?" Brock asked, coming over and looking around curiously.

"Oh, he just popped into the gift store," Misty replied, her eyes lighting up. "He's going to buy me a present. Isn't that just so nice?"

"I see," Brock said slowly. "Misty, are you feeling alright? You're not under the weather or anything, are you?"

"Eh? No, I'm fine." Misty beamed. "I do have butterflies in my stomach and my chest is a little tight though. Right now, I just feel so happy!"

It did sound like love, but it made no sense to Brock. How could it have hit both Ash and Misty at the same time, out of nowhere? Love was unpredictable, that much was true, but this situation was just too odd for words. It wasn't like it was love at first sight, an experience he was quite familiar with. Maybe they really had fallen in love with each other. If they had, then he supposed he should just be happy for them. "Well, Misty, I'm glad you and Ash have realised your feelings for each other. It's about time, isn't it?"

"I know. We've been together for so long," Misty said dreamily. "Who would have thought we would finally realise that we were the ones for each other? I've never realised until now how much I love Ash. I'm so glad that he feels the same way about me."

Ash eventually emerged from the item shop, clutching what appeared to be a stuffed Dratini in his arms. "Here you go," he said, presenting it to Misty. "It was expensive, but totally worth it. Do you like it?"

"Oh, Ash, I love it!" Misty gushed, taking hold of the plush Dratini and gazing at it with rapture in her eyes. "It's so cute. Thank you so much!" She flung an arm around Ash, taking care not to crush Togepi as she did so and hugged him tightly.

Brock watched the entire scene unfold in amazement. This was like something out of a strange dream, except he knew he wasn't going to wake up from it. "Well, Ash, it's good to see you know how to treat a girl. Try not to go too crazy with the spending though."

"Hey, come on, at least it's cute!" Misty pouted. "Ash just did a very nice thing for me. Isn't he just the sweetest?"

"Heh. You're making me blush." Ash was indeed bright red in the face. "I'm glad you're happy with the gift, Misty."

"Let's go to the Pokémon Center now," Brock said, gently taking hold of their shoulders and guiding them down the street. "You know your Pokémon could do with some rest, Ash, especially after all those battles and there's a beautiful woman I need to see there. Yes, the love of my life is waiting for me."

Luckily, there did turn out to be a Pokémon Center in the town, complete with a Nurse Joy on duty. Brock was first to reach her, standing in front of the desk and falling to his knees with a hand outstretched. "Oh, Nurse Joy! How long has it been that you have been waiting for the love of your life to come? Well, fear no more, because your soulmate has finally arrived and he is right here!"

Misty's hand suddenly clamped around Brock's ear and she pulled tightly, causing him to scream in pain. Brock whimpered as he was dragged away, forlornly holding out his hand. "Nurse Joy!" he cried out.

"You are so pathetic," Misty said, scowling and letting go of him. "Can't you ever give it a rest?"

"How would you feel if I pulled you away from Ash?" Brock asked, rubbing his sore ear.

"What Ash and I have is completely different to your ridiculous infatuation with every woman you see," Misty said, striding away. She paused, looking at him with narrowed eyes. "You had better not try it."

Brock would never dream of incurring Misty's wrath. He walked back to the desk, standing behind them while Ash placed his Poké Balls, and Pikachu, on the desk for Nurse Joy to take away.

"Thank you, Nurse Joy," Ash said as Nurse Joy carried them away. He walked over to the chairs with Misty and they sat down next to each other. A moment later, they were hugging and looked quite comfortable like that. Occasionally, one of them would whisper to the other and chuckling would follow. It was probably the sort of sickening conversation typical of a lovey dovey couple.

Brock decided now would be a good time to go back outside and get some fresh air. Seeing Ash and Misty behaving like that was a little bit disappointing, since he had been looking for loe forever and as far as he knew, it was going to be a long, long time before he ever did get a proper chance. He still wasn't entirely convinced that this being in love thing they had going on was real, but the young Pokémon breeder simply could not think of a rational explanation for what was going on.

As he wandered around the town, Brock caught sight of something that made him stop. It was a large amusement park. Right now, it wasn't even open, but according to the sign it was going to be tonight. It certainly looked like it would be a lot of fun. He grabbed one of the leaflets provided and headed back toward the Pokémon Center with the intent of showing it to his friends. Ash and Misty would surely like to go to it as well.

When Brock entered the building, he almost died on the spot as he saw Ash and Misty kissing. Now that was a sight he hadn't been expecting to see anytime soon, at least not until today when the pair suddenly decided they were madly in love. Brock approached them, coughing uncomfortably. "Ash? Misty?" The loving couple broke apart, looking up at him curiously. "Look at this."

"Hm?" Ash took the leaflet and studied it carefully, Misty peering in to look as well. "Ooh, an amusement park? That totally sounds like fun."

"Yeah!" Misty nodded enthusiastically. "This is great. We can have our first ever date here. Thank you so much for showing us this, Brock. I couldn't think of a more fun place for Ash and I to have our first date."

"Uh huh." Ash nodded, smiling widely. "This is brilliant."

"Um... okay then." Brock hadn't exactly been helping to set up a date for them, having only thought of it as a great place for them to hang out tonight, but if the two wanted to call it a date, then he didn't have a problem with it. Wait, if they were going to be dating, did that mean they didn't want him to be with them at the park? He supposed he could hardly hang around them while they were on a date. "I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun on your date."

That evening, Ash and Misty set off for the amusement park, leaving poor Brock alone at the Pokémon Center. Once they were there, they walked around the park, looking at the rides and stalls in fascination.

"I want to eat first," Ash said, looking at the food stalls. "Hmm... should I eat a burger or a hotdog? How about some cotton candy or popcorn, or... geez... this is so hard. I should definitely get some fries as well."

"Ash, calm down." Misty laughed. "You shouldn't eat so much before you go on the rides, you know. What if you get sick?"

"Yeah, you're right." Ash rubbed his empty stomach, smiling sheepishly. "I guess I'm just feeling really peckish. Okay, I'll have a hot dog and fries. What would you like to eat, Misty?"

"I'll have a burger and fries," Misty responded. Ash quickly hurried away to one of the food stalls, soon returning with the food. They sat down together on a bench and ate. The food was delicious and it really hit the spot.

"Ahh." Ash patted his now full stomach, smiling happily. "That really hit the spot. Okay, you ready to go on the rides?"

Misty wiped her mouth and nodded. "Sure."

The first ride they went on was the ferris wheel. However, they didn't actually spend much time looking at the view from the ferris wheel as their lips seemed to be magnetically attracted to each other all of a sudden, and they spent the entire ride kissing so the ride was actually over before they realised it. Then Ash wanted to go on the whirling cup ride, which Misty was naturally reluctant about. Going on such a ride after eating practically seemed like an invitation to see your food again. Eventually, Ash did manage to persuade her to go on and the contents of their stomachs remained fortunately intact. After going on a bumper car ride and then a rollercoaster and even through a haunted house, the two were actually beginning to feel a little worn out from all the excitement, but Misty still wanted to go on one more ride.

"The tunnel of love?" Ash read off a garish sparkly pink sign decorated with pink and red hearts. His gaze dropped toward a boat gently bobbing up and down on a shallow river of water as it approached the tunnel straight ahead. "You want to go on this ride?"

"Of course. It's perfect, isn't it? It's the best ride for a couple in love." Misty dragged him toward the nearest boat. "Come on, it will be great."

The tunnel of love wasn't all that interesting to Ash. He didn't see the big deal about heart shaped lights flashing everywhere and romantic music softly playing all around them. Misty on the other hand seemed to be positively enraptured by the experience, clasping her hands and looking starry eyed. As the ride came to its end, she pulled Ash into a loving embrace and softly kissed him.

"This wasn't so bad for our first date, was it?" Misty murmured, resting her head on his shoulder and smiling.

"Nope. I can't wait for our next date already." Ash smiled back.

It was beginning to get quite late now so, once they were off the ride, Ash and Misty headed back to the Pokémon Center. Brock was in their bedroom, sleeping on top of a breeder magazine which was partially coated in his saliva. He jerked awake and sat up when he heard the door open, sleepily rubbing his eyes. "Hey, Ash, Misty. Did you two have fun?"

"We sure did." Misty nodded happily. "It was awesome."

"I'm so sleepy." Ash yawned widely, putting a hand over his mouth. "We had so much fun at the park. I loved every minute of it... well, okay, the tunnel of love was a bit dull."

"I don't know what you're talking about. The tunnel of love was great!" Misty shook her head and sighed. "But since you're a boy, I guess you wouldn't understand."

"Yeah, well, I don't understand girls either," Ash muttered. "Well, whatever. It's time for bed." He yawned again, tiredly walking to his bed and throwing himself down on it. Misty went to the ladder and climbed up to her bed above his.

A short while later, all of them were comfortably asleep in their bed with little idea of the impending trouble that was coming tomorrow in the form of two people and a Meowth, who liked to to call themselves Team Rocket.


	3. Chapter 3

**Love Potion**

"Hey, sleepyhead, it's time to wake up." Misty planted a kiss on Ash's forehead. "You look so cute when you're sleeping," she couldn't help commenting, letting out a small giggle. It was true, Ash did look adorable when he slept and she had to restrain herself from throwing her arms around him in a tight hug. Ash wouldn't appreciate being scared awake thinking something was trying to squeeze the life out of him after all.

"Hmm?" Ash opened one eye, looking up at Misty. "Hey. It's morning already?" He sat up and looked toward the window, seeing daylight peeping through a crack in the curtains. "Man, I can't believe it's morning. It feels like I've hardly slept."

"I suppose the excitement last night took a lot of energy out of us." Misty sat on the bed. "You'll be feeling fine once we get there out on the road with all the nice, fresh air. Don't be a lazybones now."

"Who are you calling a lazybones?" Ash pouted slightly, reaching out to gently shake Pikachu who lay curled up and asleep next to him. "Hey, Pikachu, it's time to wake up now."

"Pika..." Pikachu slowly stirred awake and yawned, stretching his body out.

Brock came in from the bathroom, glancing at Ash and Misty. "Oh good. The lovebirds are finally awake." He watched Ash and Misty flush and look at each other in embarrassment. There was a time when Misty would have pummeled him to a pulp and Ash wouldn't have been so impressed either had he dared to insinuate they were lovebirds. It seemed those days were long over. Now he just had to get used to the idea of Ash and Misty being in love and seeing them act all lovey dovey around him.

After eating breakfast in the cafeteria of the Pokémon Center, Ash, Misty and Brock set off out of the town, continuing on their journey. However, it wasn't going to be such a smooth trip this morning. The trio had only been walking for about ten minutes when they found themselves falling into a hole. Ash was faintly aware of something grabbing Pikachu while he lay face down in the dirt.

"Pikachu!" Ash gasped out, weakly looking up. He couldn't see Team Rocket, but he heard their mocking laughter.

"Oh, do you guys ever get sick of digging holes?" Misty shrieked in a loud, frustrated voice. "Come on, Ash, let's get out of this hole already and teach them a lesson." She struggled to her feet, her eyes narrowed in annoyance. "They will pay."

"Right, Misty, let's work together and show Team Rocket what we're made of!" Ash exclaimed confidently.

Jessie, James and Meowth were in the basket, preparing to make a getaway instead of saying the motto first for a change, until they heard the twerps' incessantly loud talking.

"It sounds like they are going to work together to stop us," James said. "They sound pretty confident too."

"That's not right." Jessie frowned. "I thought they would be too busy acting like lovelorn fools to be able to do anything."

"Jessie, where do you get the idea all people in love act like fools?" James asked.

"She probably reads bad romance novels when we're not looking," Meowth suggested. He stood next to Pikachu, who was trapped within a glass container with a lightbulb attached to the top. Pikachu fiercely let off a shock, which did little more than illuminate the lightbulb. "Nice try, Pikachu, but you should know by now that's just not going to work."

"Chu." Pikachu's ears lowered and he sighed in disappointment.

"Uh oh. It looks like the twerps are out of the hole already." James could see Ash, Misty and Brock now standing at the side of the hole, looking less than impressed. "Let's get away before they can take us down."

"Team Rocket!" Ash shouted angrily. "Give Pikachu back now!"

"Man, you guys are troublesome!" Brock exclaimed.

"Troublesome?" Jessie started to twitch dangerously, suddenly unable to resist the urge to launch into the motto. "Prepare for trouble!" she exclaimed, raising an arm.

"Oh great, here we go... and make it double!" James raised his arm too.

"What are you guys doing?" Meowth groaned. "It's because you always waste time with the motto that those twerps keep stopping us."

"To protect the world from devastation." Jessie crossed her arms, smiling smugly.

"To unite all people within our nation," said James, assuming a very similar pose.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love." Jessie turned around with her back to James.

"To extend our reach to the stars above." James also turned.

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!" Jessie jumped onto the side of the basket, assuming a dramatic pose.

James copied Jessie again. "Surrender now or prepare to fight, fight, fight!"

"Meowth!" Meowth hopped between them and raised his paws, grinning fiendishly. "That's right!"

Wobbuffet popped out of Jessie's Poké Ball to join in the motto, saluting. "Wobbuffet!"

"So, how are you twerps doing with this whole being in love thing?" Jessie asked, peering down at them.

"I bet you're being all sickening and mushy, aren't you?" James teased.

Ash and Misty glanced at each other, seeming confused. There was something strange about this that they couldn't quite put their finger on, but what was it?

Brock got it immediately. "How did you know they were in love?"

The two younger members of the group gasped, their heads snapping around as they looked toward Team Rocket with shocked expressions. That was a very good question. They hadn't been doing anything in front of Team Rocket, so how was it possible they knew?

"Are you psychic?" Ash asked, blinking slowly.

"Have you been stalking us?" Misty accused. "You followed us into that town and watched us in the amusement park, didn't you?"

Jessie and James laughed in unison, amused by their questioning.

"Wrong, twerps!" Jessie wagged a finger at them. "Seeing as you two are in love, I take it that the love potion was a success."

"When I said we put love in those milkshakes, I wasn't kidding." James smirked.

"Ah! You were those milkshake vendors!" Ash exclaimed, completely ignoring the fact they had confessed to drugging him with a love potion.

Misty, however, hadn't ignored it. She stared at the ground with a stunned expression, the pupils of her eyes shrinking to make them look scarily wide, and her mouth hung open in shock. Her entire body began to shake as the truth sank in.

None of it was real. Ash's feelings for her didn't really exist. It was all just because of some stupid potion that had made them start acting madly in love. Tears stung the back of Misty's eyes and she felt a massive lump form in her throat.

"I can't believe you!" Brock shouted angrily at them. "How can you go around playing with their hearts like that? Just what is the matter with you people?"

"Oh, don't worry about it. When the twenty four hours are up, everything will be back to normal." Jessie waved a hand airily. "They will be turning back to bickering, whiny twerps soon enough."

"The potion lasts twenty four hours?" Brock asked.

"That's right. I bet you would like one, wouldn't you?" James teased. "Maybe get a girl to fall in love with you for a change."

Brock was about to retort angrily, when Ash suddenly decided getting Pikachu back would be a good idea. "Noctowl, I choose you!" As he threw the Poké Ball, the shiny owl Pokémon appeared in the sky, flying through a shower of sparkles. "Pop the balloon!"

As Noctowl tore through the balloon and ripped a large hole in both sides, the air rapidly escaped and it crashed to the ground.

"Do you ever think of anything new, twerp?" Jessie groaned.

"Yeah, that popping the balloon routine is getting real old and real tiring," James grumbled.

"Is that all you ever use your bird Pokémon for?" Meowth asked in exasperation.

Ash ignored them, praising Noctowl for a job well done and recalling it back into its Poké Ball. He then sent out Bayleef. "Bayleef, use your vines to grab Pikachu now!"

Jessie, James and Meowth shrieked in dismay as they saw Bayleef's vines reach out and wrap around the glass container still containing Pikachu. It had rolled away when the balloon crashed and was too far away for them to catch in time, so they could only watch on as Pikachu was safely reunited with his trainer.

"Hey, Pikachu, you okay?" Ash opened up the container, freeing Pikachu, and happily hugged him. "Okay, Team Rocket-"

"Wait." Misty stepped forward, her fists clenching so tightly that the knuckles of her hands were turning a vivid white. She spoke in the kind of venomous voice that would strike fear in the hearts of people everywhere if she was in a horror movie. "I am going to personally deal with them."

"Misty?" Ash whispered in bewilderment, recognising the danger signs. Misty was pissed. No, she was already far beyond pissed. Even saying she was in a fierce rage would be an understatement. He could practically see an aura of fire around her body.

"Oh, it looks like the scrawny twerpette's mad at us," James commented.

"What are you gonna do, huh?" Meowth chuckled. When they hung around someone like Jessie, it wasn't easy for them to get scared.

Veins bulged on Misty's head and she produced three Poké Balls, her mouth twitching in an eerie smile. "You people... you are the absolute worst..." she hissed in an ominous voice. "I can't believe you... and I am going to make you pay, once and for all."

"Give us your best shot, why don't you?" Jessie taunted.

"Staryu, Politoed, Corsola, go!" Misty threw their Poké Balls in the air. The three Pokémon appeared before her, facing Team Rocket.

"Whoa, whoa, wait, aren't you overdoing it a bit?" Meowth asked nervously.

Jessie and James had begun to realise just how angry Misty really was and suddenly they were afraid of what was about to happen to them. Misty looked at them with pure venom in her eyes, causing them to squeak and clutch onto each other with fear. Meowth shrank back against them, shivering.

"Staryu, Swift! Corsola, Spike Cannon! Politoed, Water Gun!" Misty screamed.

Team Rocket cried out in fear as the attacks came their way in a flurry of shooting stars, pointed needles and a super fast jet of water. They were sent flying right into the remains of the balloon and a cloud of dust rose up around them, obscuring them from view.

"Okay, Ash, it's your turn," Misty spoke in a gritted voice.

Ash immediately ordered Pikachu to unleash a Thunderbolt attack and the electric mouse Pokémon released a massive bolt of electricity that struck Team Rocket and the balloon. A massive explosion ensued and the Pokémon thieves went sailing off into the air, along with the contents of the balloon's basket. This included the left over vials of potions. The glass shattered in mid air and the pink liquid flowed free, some of it splashing into Jessie and James's mouths. They were too distracted by the fact they were flying through the air to think about what it was as they swallowed.

Then the two Team Rocket members realised what it was they had just accidentally drank and gasped in horror.

"Team Rocket's blasting off again!" Meowth yelled as the trio vanished into the sky. Jessie and James were much too shocked to join in.

Misty gazed up at the sky, her aquamarine eyes wet with tears. She silently recalled Politoed, Corsola and Staryu, then turned around and ran off. The redhead did not want Ash and Brock to see her cry.

"Hey, Misty, where are you going?" Ash was about to go after her, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He looked back to see Brock shaking his head.

"I think Misty needs to be alone right now." Brock watched Misty running off with a sympathetic look. It was clear she was deeply hurt after what Team Rocket had done. They had been truly despicable, playing around with the hearts of young people like that. He could hardly believe it himself.

"That potion... it made us fall in love, didn't it?" Ash looked down, sighing quietly. "When it wears off, we're going to be back to the way we were before the potion did that stuff, aren't we?"

"Do you want that to happen?" Brock asked.

Ash slowly shook his head, anxiously chewing his bottom lip. "I don't really want it to. It feels so good."

"Tell me more about the feeling, Ash," Brock requested.

"Well, um..." Ash took a deep breath and let it out. "I feel really happy when I'm around Misty and I just want to be with her. Sometimes, I get a funny feeling in my chest and I feel like I'm kinda, well, floating. Does it sound silly to you?"

"No," Brock said simply. "It doesn't."

"Anyway, it's such a nice feeling and I just don't want it to go away," Ash said morosely.

"You know what I think, Ash?" Brock asked. Ash looked at him curiously. "Maybe you always had these feelings for Misty, somewhere deep down. That potion didn't just make those feelings come out of nowhere. They were always there and the potion merely gave you two the confidence to tell each other how you felt."

"Really?" Ash's eyes grew wide. Now he was feeling a bit better. "Then, does Misty feel the same way about me deep down?"

"Judging by how upset she is, I would have to say so," Brock replied. "When that potion wears off, all you have to do is tell each other how you really do feel about each other and you'll know it's definitely the truth this time."

Misty soon returned, her eyes red and puffy from crying. "I hate Team Rocket," she muttered, scowling angrily and clutching Togepi tightly to her chest. "How could they do something like this to us?"

"Those guys can be real jerks at times." Ash frowned. "It just wasn't right of them to mess around with us like that."

"Yeah. Well, I guess things will be back to normal soon." Misty sighed heavily. "We'll just forget about everything that happened, won't we?" She forced a smile.

"But, Misty-" Ash was about to protest.

"I don't want to talk about it, not until that potion wears off. We don't know if we really mean what we're saying or if our feelings are real, do we?" Misty bit her bottom lip. "Let's just wait, okay?"

"Um... yeah. I guess so." Ash looked down at Pikachu, who stood by his feet. "Well then, let's keep walking. We have another gym to get to and I want to get there soon."

The trio of friends then set off, walking along the road that would take them toward the next city. They paused only to have a quick lunch and resumed walking for the rest of the afternoon. Eventually, Brock noticed how close the sun was to setting.

"Hey, Ash, Misty," he spoke, stopping the two in their tracks. "You know, it's been more than twenty four hours now. I'm pretty sure the potion would have worn off by now."

"Oh, I suppose it has now, hasn't it?" Misty looked down toward her feet, nervousness causing her stomach to flutter. She didn't feel quite so giddy with emotion like she had under the effects of the potion, but her feelings were still there. Of course she didn't need a potion to know how she really felt about Ash. Now, she was just worried about how Ash really felt about her.

Ash chewed on his lower lip, trying to think of something to say. Those feelings he had been experiencing toward her definitely weren't gone. They didn't feel quite so intense anymore, possibly due to the potion wearing off, but he definitely knew how he felt about Misty. He still experienced that feeling of euphoria just looking at her. Maybe it would be a good idea for him to speak first. "Um, Misty, I..."

"Ash, I..." Misty started to speak at the same time and they stopped, staring at each other awkwardly. Their faces became flushed.

"I like you, Misty," Ash spoke, breaking the tense silence. He hoped Brock was right and Misty really did still feel the same. "I mean, I like you a lot. More than just a friend, or even a best friend."

"Ash..." Misty smiled. Suddenly, she felt like she was floating on air again. His feelings hadn't been false after all. That potion had done nothing more than bring them to the surface, just as they had done with her.

There was no need for words. The redhead gently set Togepi on the ground, then stepped forward and flung her arms around his shoulders, bringing her lips to his. Ash's arms came up and encircled Misty's waist while the two happily embraced.

Brock watched the pair with a smile on his face. It was good to see everything had worked out for them in the end. Team Rocket had ended up doing more good than harm and he was glad for that.

Meanwhile, Jessie, James and Meowth had landed in some distant field and were still there, having taken some time to recover from the wounds they sustained when hitting the ground. Now it didn't seem like Jessie and James were going to leave anytime soon as they sat together, gazing lovingly into each other's eyes and hands tightly clasped.

"Oh, Jessie..."

"Oh, James..."

After repeating each other's names for about the ten hundredth time, the two leaned forward and melted into a sickeningly passionate kiss.

Meowth vomited over the side of a bush. Could those two get any more sickening and sappy? He simply could not wait until that potion wore off.


End file.
